I had a remote user connect a NV160 to the network but my NV1335 controller wasn't using the latest firmware to allow configuration of the AP. After installing the controller firmware, I rebooted the device and when I looked at the AP Discovery section, I saw that the NV160 had a status of "Recovery." I set about putting a temporary vlan in place so that I could access the default IP (192.168.190.1 /24) of the AP and upgrade the firmware in accordance to the PDF, "Upgrading Firmware on a Netvanta 160." After I had gotten the network prepared with my temporary vlan and such, I am able to ping 192.168.190.1 just fine. However, the controller no longer sees the access point, so I'm unable to upgrade the firmware through the controller. I discovered this when I tried to push the firmware and I got the error "...no session exists..." That's when I looked at Wireless -> AC/AP Discovery on the controller to see that it was no longer showing up.

I have restarted the controller as well as disabled/re-enabled the port that the AP is plugged into, but I'm unable to get the controller to 'discover' the AP again. I also attempted to just manually add the AP via MAC address & IP - but no luck with that, I received the same "no session exists" error. Could someone offer any insight as to how I can get this AP to show back up? I think it's the only way that I can push the necessary firmware to the AP to get it out of the 'recovery' mode.

brianwilliams - Can you post the Access Controller configuration you are using when attempting to upgrade the firmware on the NetVanta 160? Also, which switchport is the NetVanta 160 plugging into? Please remember to remove any sensitive information.

Sure, let me grab the config and sanitize it. I'm not plugging the AP into the controller itself, I have it plugged into a PoE switch on the network. I had to go through and create the test vlan for the default IP of the AP (192.168.190.1 /24) and I can still ping that address from one of my servers (that is being used as my tftp server). The problem that I'm having is that I can't get the controller to 'discover' the AP again so that it has an active session when I'm trying to upgrade the firmware.

Is there a time-out feature where if the AP is in recovery status, the controller will just eventually reject it? I just need to figure out how to 'reset' it so that the controller discovers the AP again long enough for me to update it's firmware. Then I can back out all of the changes to the network I had to make in order to be able to route to 192.168.190.1 /24.

brianwilliams - Is your TFTP server on the same switch as the NetVanta 160? As a test, would you be able to enable the VLAN you created for the 160 and give it an IP address in the 192.168.190.x network? I think it is VLAN 190. Once that is done, are you able to ping the VLAN interface IP from the TFTP server? Another test would be to move the 160 so that it is directly connected to the Access Controller and seeing if your TFTP server can still ping it.

My TFTP server is indeed on the same switch as the NV160. From the router, switch, controller and TFTP server, I'm able to ping the NV160 with its default IP of 192.168.190.1 /24. I just can't get the controller to 'discover' the AP any longer, thereby not allowing a session to be created which is prohibiting me from installing the firmware. Is there a way I can telnet or SSH into the access point directly by it's default IP? Or do I have have to use the controller to push the firmware?

brianwilliams - Yes, you will need to update the firmware using the access controller. This is why I was suggesting the tests in my previous post. This would be to confirm that the switchport settings between the AP/TFTP server switch and the access controller are correct.

Understood. The way that I knew how to configure the switch, router and controller temporarily to allow access to the AP in recovery mode was by reading the document you suggested. From the router, switch and controller, I can ping the 192.168.190.1 address that the AP currently has. But, for some reason, the controller isn't recognizing or discovering the AP as it did before. When I first plugged the AP into the switch, the controller itself had the wrong firmware which I didn't notice until the controller had already discovered the AP. I installed the new firmware on the controller, rebooted and then saw that the AP was in recovery mode. I followed the instructions of the PDF linked above to be able to access the 192.168.190.1 IP address. When I attempted to load the firmware to the AP itself, the controller lost it's session with the AP and now won't initialize or discover the AP.

What I'm curious about or require help with is how to get the controller to recognize the AP again in it's discovery process. Without the controller discovering or connecting a session to the AP while in recovery mode, I can't push the AP firmware to get it out of recovery mode. I've attempted restarting the controller, disabling/re-enabling the switchport that the AP is plugged into, but none of those things has worked. I even tried to manually add the AP via MAC address to the controller - but I get the same error that no session exists between controller and AP, because it didn't "discover" it.

I think this particular situation would be better handled in a support ticket. If you open a ticket please come back to this thread after it is resolved to post the solution so others can benefit from it. You can create one using any of the methods listed below. Please reference the URL of this thread when opening the ticket to help provide background information to our support team.

brianwilliams - Did you open a ticket regarding this issue? If so, please post the results so that other users may find it helpful. Also, please do not hesitate to let us know if you have any further questions regarding this.

I went ahead and flagged this post as "Assumed Answered." If any of the responses on this thread assisted you, please mark them as Correct or Helpful as the case may be with the applicable buttons. This will make them visible and help other members of the community find solutions more easily. If you still need assistance, we would be more than happy to continue working with you on this - just let us know in a reply.